October 9, 2008 by John Ericson

Archived under: Embouchure, Practice, Teaching   |   David Wakefield

A Key Thing to Practice


One of the most important things you will ever practice are long tones with a perfect crescendo and diminuendo. For example six counts up and six counts down, with perfect intonation and no lumps, each side of the peak a mirror image. The reason this is so critical is you have no hope of playing really beautiful phrases if you don’t have this skill.

The teacher that introduced this to me was David Wakefield at the Aspen Music Festival when I was an undergraduate. The exercise I still do every day is from him; go up chromatically from written middle C to the G above in long tones with as perfect a cresc/dim as possible. I was out of the habit for a while for a few years but now most days this is again the very first thing I play. I feel that if you have this skill mastered in this range it will transfer easily over to other ranges.

Once I recall going to a master class by a horn teacher that poo pooed long tones. Any teacher that does not teach long tones in my opinion does not know what they are doing. This skill is essential and one of the most important things that you will ever master as a student of the horn.

The first time you try this you will find “lumps” in your long tones and probably also pitch problems. This could have to do with air but more likely has to do with your embouchure. There is a slight change that has to be made gradually from soft to loud; if it is not totally in control you will have lumps and pitch problems.

Long tones with a perfect cresc/dim. They are a key technique.

UPDATE: For more on the topic see this article.

JOHN ERICSON has wide-ranging experience as an orchestral player, soloist, and teacher.» About John Ericson » More articles » Horn Notes Edition » Contact

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A Key Thing to Practice
Published on October 9, 2008 by John Ericson

Archived under: Embouchure, Practice, Teaching   |   David Wakefield
John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.